God Of War: 300 To Olympus
by Ryushi Tenshin
Summary: Kratos wants Zeus dead, King Leonidas wants the Glory of Sparta to be known; this isn't madness, THIS IS SPARTA!
1. Prologue

Sparta, Greece... On one side stands a mortal who was once a God now fallen and plans to annihilate Olympus along with the Gods that betrayed him. That mortal, known throughout everywhere as 'The Ghost Of Sparta' plans to take down Zeus, king of Olympus and his biological father who once killed him, but the 'Ghost Of Sparta' will not back down from a fight...

At the Eastern Border, a King that is both respected and feared by his people leads an army of 300 Spartans to face off the invading Persian army. Zerxes, the King of Persia plans to conquer all countries and he doesn't plan on leaving Sparta alone. But the King has other plans, his name is Leonidas...

Back at Olympus, Zeus together with Hades, Poseidon & Helios ran to the balcony to see their long time enemies the Titans lead by the one man hell bent on destroying them; Kratos, the fallen God Of War and the infamous 'Ghost Of Sparta'. As Gaia, titan of the earth climbed nearer towards Olympus, Kratos held the blade of Olympus steadily in his hands as he shouted, 'ZEUS! Your son has come back! I bring along, the fall of Olympus!'

'This is absurd! Zeus! Your plans?' Hades questioned his brother. Zeus was in a complete state of shock; since the last battle he thought Kratos would give up on pursuing him and retreated for a strategy, but he had forgotten the Ghost of Sparta had the sisters of fate's powers with the ability to travel through time and brought back the mighty Titans to aid him in the war. 'We must retreat for now! Hades my brother, call upon your army of the dead to hold him off first!'

Meanwhile, Leonidas' army was strongly holding off the Persian army as they came wave after wave. Knowing that they will not hold up sooner or later, Leonidas looked up to the gloomy sky, ' God Of War! Destroy my enemies and our lives are in your hands!'


	2. Turning Tides

Upon hearing the distant cries for his aid, Kratos concentrated on fulfilling his goal as he climbed over the balcony of Olympus before meeting up with a group of Underworld Warriors.

"Give it up Kratos, you can't defeat Zeus, much less can you defeat the other Gods?" Hades questioned. As he drew his blades of Athena and slashed his way through the hordes of undead warriors, it was clear that Kratos would stop at nothing to overthrow the King of Olympus. As the Ghost Of Sparta made his way into the main hall he set his sights upon Zeus.

"Zeus, too long I've waited for this moment! The Gods are getting what they deserve from me; Vengenace!" Drawing out the blade of Olympus from his previous battle, Zeus could do nothing to stop the Ghost Of Sparta. Desperately avoiding the rage and anger from each swing of the blade, Zeus went to grab his gauntlet to deliver a swift punch to Kratos, sending him crashing into the walls.

"How long will you keep this up Kratos? You know you cannot bring me down! Not in this state of yours!" Ignoring the taunts, Kratos lifted himself up from the debris and raised his blade before charging towards his opponent.

Back at the battlefield against the Persian Empire, King Xerxes watched on from his mobile throne as King Leonidas and his fellow Spartans fought off wave after wave of Persian armies. In the midst of battle the King eagerly waited his prayers for the God Of War to come to his aid but to no avail. Suddenly silence filled the entire atmosphere; another wave of troops began to rally in, but this time they looked different. It wasn't like any of the other Persians Leonidas and his army fought. They looked much more aggressive, swifter, deadlier.

"God Of War, if you can hear my prayers I could really need some help now..." The King thought to himself in distress.

The calls for help once again travelled to Kratos' head. Somehow he had to finish off Zeus and yet tend to his fellow Spartan's aid. But that consideration would led to a fatal distraction as Zeus landed a great blow to Kratos, sending him off miles away from Olympus. Seeing that the Ghost Of Sparta had dropped the blade of Olympus. The King Of the Gods once again took care of the Titans easily by sending them into the Pits of Tartartaus and imprisoning them for eternity.

"From this day forward, there shall be no peace for Kratos and anyone who joins him."


	3. Faithful Meeting

Falling into a pile of debris, Kratos picked himself up from the massive impact Zeus had dealt to him; only to see a large scale war raging on below him. On one side were 300 Spartans, fearless warriors known throughout Rome and in the other corner lies the restless Persians. Seeing the bloodbath, Kratos thought to himself, "By the gods, what is happening?"

"Is this true? Has the God Of War truly abandoned us? How can this be King Leonidas? Where is our immortal aid?" One of the Spartan Warriors exclaimed to his King. Still holding on to the faith that the late Ares would come, Leonidas raised his sword and beheaded a few of the incoming persian soldiers. King Zerxes couldn't stand the sight that his army was constantly depleting and he decided to use his trump card; The Basilik. A creature so horrendous and fearful that Zerxes' own men fled for their lives when they unleashed the beast.

Kratos gazed upon the Basilik as it made its way towards King Leonidas' direction. Kratos knew that Leonidas and his army would stand no chance sparring off against the gigantic beast. The Ghost Of Sparta quickly made his way down by sliding down the cliff and unleashing his blades of Athena onto any unlucky Persian.

"Are you one of Ares' man?" Leonidas questioned to the Ghost Of Sparta. Clearing a wave of incoming Persian soldiers was something Leonidas and his men were surprised as Kratos sheathed back his blades before turning around to face the King.

"The Ares you've known is long gone! I am the God Of War!" This claim by the Ghost Of Sparta puzzled Leonidas; how could he put his trust on a stranger who claims he has overthrown the previous God Of War? And if so, why should he even trust him?"

"This is no time for explanations! Form a defensive line while I take care of that beast!" Before Leonidas could reply, Kratos made a slaughterhouse of the Persian blockade and proceeded to face the Basilik...

"Who is that guy my Lord? Why does he claim to be the God Of War?" One of his soldiers questioned. Leonidas couldn't find an answer, for now He and his fellow Spartans could only put their trust on a man they didn't even knew...


	4. The City Of Sparta

Kratos climbed to the top of a battle post where Persian Ships anchored themselves and fired fiery balls of fire. Spotting a nearby giant bow, Kratos returned fire. Suddenly the floor below him began to give way and the Ghost Of Sparda found himself inside a storeroom where a few Spartans were fending off their Persian opponents. As the Ghost Of Sparta took care of the Persians, large vibrations could be felt. The door behind Kratos was broken followed by a giant cyclops wielding a large club. Kratos managed to snatch away the club and as the cyclops tried to reach for his weapon, out from nowhere came the Basilik and took a large bite out of the cyclops before reaching in to take on Kratos.

"Inbecile! I'll teach you to mess with a God!" Swinging his blades of chaos, the Basilik was knocked out cold. Kratos than reached for the large club and swung it directly at the Basilik's left eye before it retreated out of the small hole. As Leonidas saw Kratos emerging out, the Ghost of Sparta was signalling for the King that the path was clear.

As Leonidas and his army pushed off the remaining Persian army off the cliff into the ocean, they quickly made their way to the coast where Kratos was, but was blocked off by a wall of flame that was caused by flying fire balls made from the Persian Ships. Kratos spotted a ram nearby and with his godly strength he picked up and charged towards the Gate, amazingly running through the flame and shouted to Leonidas, "Clear the Way!"

With the gate destroyed, Leonidas and his army together with Kratos ran into the city and took out the invading Persians, noticing that the Basilik had made its way into the City, Kratos heard cries for help at the Southern side of the city.

"Leonidas, try to distract the Basilik while I go save the prisoners!" Without hearing an answer, the Ghost of Sparta left to the direction of the prisoners.

"My King, who is this man anyway and why has he suddenly showed up from nowhere to help us like he is a messenger from the Gods?" His captain asked, once again Leonidas could not find a vaild answer.


	5. A Joint Effort

The Ghost Of Sparta ran into the direction of the Prisoners' cries for help, he came upon two Persian warriors. One of them was fat, reeked of sweat and held a weird shape blade, the other Persian was smaller, but from the looks he was agile and he was wielding a blue glowing blade. The fat Persian taunted the prisoners, taking no aware of Kratos' presence.

"Please General, stop taunting the Prisoners. We're only here to look for him and you had to tell Lord Zerxes to launch a full-scale war!"

"Hahaha! Young one, you do not know how cunning he can be. That is why we need the entire Persian army to find him!" Interrupting the two Persians, Kratos drew his blades before calling out to them.

"What evil treachery have you brought upon us, Persian?" The young Persian turned around to see the Ghost Of Sparta storming towards them.

"General, it's Him! The infamous Ghost Of Sparta! We should run now!" Shoving the young Persian away, the Persian General gloated, "Evil? This is not evil, Ghost Of Sparta. I bring the glory of Lord Zerxes to purfify your city!"

"With a Basilik roaming around and destroying my City? Is that your way of bringing Glory!? My allies at Olympus have sent a message and I'm here to deliver it!" The young Persian stepped up with a soft tone, "My deepest apologies, Ghost Of Sparta. But we are just looking for an escaped Sorcerer, never did we knew our Basilik had caused so much damage!" Kratos tightened his grip on his blades before the Persian General spoke again.

"Enough! We do not apologise to Spartans! A message? Than you're nothing but just a messenger! And you can take this message back to your pathetic allies; it will take more than just a Spartan to take down the entire Persian army!

Back at the city center, Leonidas and his army were aided with more Spartans as they took care of the Persians. As the Basilik continued its rage of destruction, Leonidas turned to his troops, "SPARTANS! TONIGHT WE DINE...IN HELL!" The Spartan army than raised their spears and swords before running towards the direction of the Basilik


	6. Partners

As Leonidas and his Spartan army ran up to face the Basilik, the King wondered whether they could even take down the huge beast. Even though they battled through hordes of Persian soldiers in order to protect the Eastern border of the city, they still had doubts over taking down a single monster just like that. But than again they witness the power and sheer determination of a single Spartan that took down an entire wave of Persians for them.

"My Lord, are we still going up against that beast?"

"If the Ghost of Sparta had faith in us, we must return back the favor!" Leonidas than turned around to face his soldiers.

"SPARTANS! We'll give the beast NOTHING but our spears and blades, But take EVERYTHING from the Persian Scums! For SPARTA!" Wails of war cries began hollering, echoing through the entire city as they proceeded to take on the Persian beast.

Back in the dungeon, Kratos was battling the larger Persian opponent but what puzzled him most was the smaller size accomplice. Though he had the looks of a Persian assassin, Kratos instincts told him that surprisingly the Persian was not an enemy just as he managed to dodge a swift swipe from the large blade driving towards the ground. That careless move gave Kratos the opportunity for a counter attack as he wrapped one of the chains around the blade and used the other knock the large Persian out of reaching the blade again, resulting in him crashing into boxes of gold.

"Please, please spare my life and I'll give you all that you ask." The fallen Persian said with fear. His accomplice only stood there and watched as the Ghost of Sparta walked closer to his prey.

"You have nothing I want, Persian." The Persian General than hastily tried to persuade Kratos into not killing him. "Take my gold, my soldiers, even my women! Just please spare me!" As the General raised his head to see Kratos shadowing the sun rays beaming through the small holes. He knew the Ghost of Sparta had his mind set on one thing.

"I won't take your riches...BUT I will take your LIFE!" Reaching out for a small wooden box filled with gold, Kratos repeatedly smashed the box onto the General before literally taking his life. Freeing the prisoners, Kratos rushed back to the direction of Leonidas before turning his attention to the young Persian warrior.

"What are you looking at Persian?" The young Persian stood up and spoke with a decent etiquette.

"Pardon my general's uncouth attitude, but perhaps we might be going down the same path." His answer was the Ghost Of Sparta once again drawing his blades out.

"Hear my suggestion first, fellow warrior. You see the Basilik is one of the Visser's creation and that is the man we are hunting for. Perhaps we can form an alliance to take down the beast?"

"How do I know I can trust you, Persian?" Kratos questioned as he pointed his blade towards the young Persian. Slowly pushing the blade away, the young Persian replied, "King Zerxes isn't the true King of Persia. He is under the influence of the Visser that initiated this full-scale war."

"Your point seems shady, but I have to trust you...for now."


	7. Misunderstanding

Exiting the dungeons, Kratos and the newly acquainted Prince of Persia rushed to the scene of Leonidas and his fellow Spartans faring off against the Basilik. Dodging past the fleeing peasants. They found Leonidas and his army cornering the beast to a bridge. Figuring a strategy the Ghost of Sparta came in the aid of time.

"Leonidas! Leave the beast to me!" Pushing aside the King, Kratos and the Persian ran towards the Basilik. The Ghost of Sparta gave it all with his godly strength and slammed the Beast's face onto the solid concrete floor but the Basilik will not just stay down. Leonidas and his army could only stand and looked in amazement as they witness an incredible battle between a single man and a creature 4 times its size. With Kratos running out of ideas, his only bet was to rely on the Prince's tactics. With agile movements, the Prince evaded all of the Basilik's swipes and oncoming fireballs but just couldn't land a direct hit to its weak spot.

"Kratos! I can't land my blade into its throat! You have to lift its head up for me to get a direct hit! I'll try to distract it while you pin it down!"

"Easy for you to say Persian!" The moment came when the Basilik charged up for another fireball. Kratos ascended up the tower and jumped on top of its head before securing its jaws together with the Blades of Chaos. The Prince saw his chance and drove his blade into the Basilik's throat before it slowly dissolved into sand particles and finally being absorbed into the blade.

As the 300 Spartans regrouped with Kratos, Leonidas began to speak, "I appreciate the help of you two, but before I go on..." Spears were raised towards the two strangers before Leonidas continued, " Who are you Spartan and why is this Persian with you? Are you two in cahoots to overthrow my Kingdom?"

"Overthrow? This is madness!" The Prince exclaimed. Leonidas drew his sword and pointed at the Prince.

"Madness you say? You bring your pathetic army to spread the scum of your Empire onto my land, and when you're defeated and your life hangs at bay, all you say is this madness? This isn't madness...THIS IS SPARTA!" Echoes of war cries trembled the city walls before Kratos shoved the spears aside.

"Leonidas! Listen to me! I, Kratos am the new God Of War! The Ares you've known has been slain by me! This Persian...he somehow knows why the war had started. Just hear him out before you decide on his execution."


	8. Alliance

As the Spartans lowered their spears, the Prince began to explain the reason behind the attack. Realizing it was the work of the Visser, the Prince arc nemesis who in deed had murdered his father and thus making Zerxes the new King, the Prince told Leonidas and Kratos about the island of time where he would seek Princess Kahlia, the sorceress who controls the sands of time and the woman who gave the blade of time to the Prince.

"What about this island of time? Can it reverse the effects that this war didn't even happen at all? Is this the nonsense you're trying to con your way through?" Lenoidas replied as his hand readied near his blade's handle. Kratos immediately took control of the situation by shoving the Prince aside and began to speak. "Leonidas, enough. This is the only lead we have for now!"

"And what about you Spartan? You come out from the skies like you are some messenger of the Gods and than you claim to be THE God Of War and finally the most suspicious thing is you appearing to our aid with this Persian who we are currently at war with!" Before Leonidas could draw his blade, Kratos had already pointed his inches away from his neck.

"Forgive me for being rude my Lord, but choose your words carefully to whom you speak in future; you might just live for another few seconds. This island of time, I've heard of its existence before but never seen it upfront. This could be the only way to undo the mistake since the island of the Fates is destroyed..."

"The Fates? Destroyed? Could it be...that you are the Ghost of Sparta? General Kratos?" Leonidas exclaimed in shock, somehow memories of the King's past began flowing back. He could visualize the familiarly of Kratos, one of his few elite Spartans who rose in ranks to spread the glory of Sparta to the entire globe.

"That is true my Lord, though I am no longer a general. Ares death was caused by the betrayal between me and the Gods of Olympus, seems that Zeus plans on overthrowing me to prevent a new King of Olympus. Now he seeks to eliminate any opposing threat and that includes you King Leonidas." Hearing of what the God Of War had told him, Leonidas slowly began to believe that everything made sense; why would the Persians suddenly attack Sparta with no apparent reason? If so, why send an army to hunt for criminal who would the least be hiding in a country he's not familiar with?

"So this island of time, how do we get there?"

"That is where this Persian comes into the scene; he seems to know the criminal mastermind and has been to the island of time."


	9. Journey To The Island

Disclaimer: Sorry for the late update, been so busy these past few months...

At the harbor, the Spartans prepared for the tough journey ahead of them to the island of time. Meanwhile Leonidas dragged the Prince to a corner and began his interrogation.

"Look, I may not know what's happening right now, but if I find out that there's even a single conspiracy going on... your head rolls off."

Finishing what he had to speak, Leonidas went on to check on his men before seeing Kratos looking at a map. Curious, Leonidas went to the Spartan's position and observed him marking out coordinates to the island.

"Kratos, it's been awhile since the last war I saw you against the barbarians, that was when you called upon Ares for your help." Turning around to face the king, Kratos answered.

"Yes, and that was the day Ares tricked me into taking away everything I had!" Realizing that Ares clouded Krato's mind in order to dominate the mortal world that the Spartan killed his own family in the midst of Ares dirty work. But learning the death of the previous meant that the Ghost of Sparta was no longer a slave but a new God Of War.

"The island of time won't be a walk in the park, King Leonidas. I suggest your men exercise extreme caution. After all my men didn't came back alive...most of them."

With everything prepared, they set sail for the island of time, battling the raging seas for days & nights. During one particular night, the Spartans were having a feast until they felt something hit the ship. Leonidas, together with Kratos and the Prince went up to the deck to check out the situation but admist the heavy thunderstorm, they could see no rocks or any other obstacles. Sensing something was amiss, the Prince went to the front to see the view clearly, only to be met with a huge serpent; The Hydra.

"Er...Ghost Of Sparta, we got company!" As more of the Hydra's head surrounded the ship. Kratos knew it was the work of Zeus. Drawing out his Blades of Chaos, he sliced off one of the heads as it lunged towards him. The men came out to see the commotion only to tremble upon the sight of the mythical creature.

"NO, go back down! We'll handle this!"

"But this is insane Kratos, you and the Persian don't stand a chance!" Grabbing Leonidas by his cloak, Kratos stared with anger and determination.

"If we lose lives right now, than all that we prepared for this journey will be wasted!"


	10. Hydra Encounter

"He has a point, King Leonidas. Let me and Kratos finish the beast." Calming himself down, Leonidas could only look at the two warriors charging towards the Hydra as he gathered his soldiers to the lower decks.

Facing the Hydra head on, the Prince and Kratos sliced off every single head but it just kept growing back.

"Zeus! Is this your foul play? I am the God Of War and whatever you put before me, I'll just crush it!" The Prince pushed him aside before being smashed by one of the Hydra's lunges. Right now brute force alone wasn't going to tame the beast; they needed not only a winning strategy but also to find it's weak spot.

Spotting two hooks near the starboard, the Prince than devised a plan with Kratos, by luring two of the Hydra's heads to the hooks and plunging the hooks through, it might just attract the main source which could also be the weak point. Looking at the Prince sarcastically, Kratos drew his blades and dashed towards the nearest hook. In a blink Kratos had drove the hook through one of the Hydra's head as he proceeded to the next. The Prince could only watch in amazement as the God of War evaded the beast's jaws and plunged the second hook.

"I've done what you've planned Persian. Yet no sign of the main source." Just when all hopes were lost, They heard shoutings from the front. The two rushed to the scene to see a much larger head of the Hydra. Below it stood the Captain whimpering.

"By the Gods, spare my life!" As the Hydra made for the kill, Kratos stopped it in its path with his blades. The Prince than jumped on its head and attempted to stab with the Blade of Time but it wouldn't penertrate through its thick scales. Looking for an alternate way, the Prince sighted a nearly broken flagpole before being flung off.

"Kratos! We can kill it from the outside, drive it through that flagpole from its throat!" Focusing his attention to the pole, Kratos leapt to the top and lured the Hydra towards it. Everytime the Hydra made a lunge Kratos evaded it and made use of its head to smash the pole, eventually revealing a sharp edge. Than with amazing strength, Kratos pulled the Hydra's head through the broken yet sharp pole and watched it fall to its death. The other Hydra heads slowly began to disappear into the ocean depths as the dawn rose, signalling a new day. Off a few miles the Prince sighted an island; it was the island of time. As Leonidas and his soldiers emerged from the lower decks to see the aftermath, they saw the island of time along with Kratos sheathing back his blades.

"The island of time...Now to get the sands of time from the Princess and we can avoid this war!" The Prince exclaimed.

Back at the war-torn Mt.Olympus, Zeus was seeing Krato's progress. Surprised and furious to see that his Hydra was killed, Zeus turned his attention to Helios, the God of the Sun.

"Helios, I can count on you. Make sure you don't let him and his comrades make it to the temple." Helios kneeled down in respect. "Of course my King, it shall be a burning sensation for them."


	11. The Island Of Time

As the ship docked just a few meters away from the shore, Kratos, The Prince along with Leonidas and the Spartan army took a raft and rowed it to shore. For some reason Kratos felt as if he was on the island of the Fates. Only this time he wasn't so familar with the environment. Scanning the area, The Prince glanced upon a building far from their location.

"There's the castle where the Princess resides, getting there won't be a walk in the park..." A sudden flare seemed to flash past the group before disappearing.

"Helios...What trickery has he up to his sleeve now?" Kratos angrily mumbled. As the group made their way towards the Castle, overcoming various obstacles along the way, they finally reached the entrance to the castle's gates. Just as Leonidas was about to proceed, The Prince pulled him back. Leonidas wondered what was going on before the Prince pointed out to 2 shadowry figures at the gates.

"Invaders, but what is their goal? To seek out the princess or to fend us off? Either way we need a plan to bypass them."

"Too late, the God Of War already figured it out." Both the Prince & Leonidas turned to see Kratos making his way up to the gates and slashing away all opposing threats. When it came down to the last guard, Kratos grabbed him and delivered a devastating backbreaker. Once the others regrouped with the Ghost Of Sparta, they noticed that the enemies Kratos dealt with weren't human."

"Helios must be working alongside the God of the Underworld Hades, never thought Zeus' brother would be involved..." Making their way in, Helios & Hades watched them from above one of the castle's tower. Helios chuckled before turning his attention to Hades.

"It's a pity they don't realise they're walking into a trap."

"Don't get too cocky Helios, this castle has traps of its own. I wouldn't be too concerned about the others. It's Kratos Zeus is after."

"Relax Hades, I've got it all under control. If they make it to the Princess's chamber, you will take over from there. As for now I'll make our guests feel just at home."

One the gates were opened ajar, the group cautiously made their way into the castle. The surroundings were all ruined and abandoned; as if there was no sign of existence. Torn flags were occasionally blown by the weak breeze. Piles of rumble laid next to damaged walls and stairways didn't look safe enough to thread on.

"The castle, it wasn't like this before. Someone must have came before us & tampered with the sands of time!" Just as the Prince completed his sentence, a flame of bright orange fire was lit on the floor. Kratos readied his blades before the flame formed into the shape of the God Helios.

"Welcome noble warriors, I am Helios, God of the sun. If you have come seeking for the Princess, she's waiting in her chambers. But be warned; the castle has many tricks to its name and if you're all daring enough, feel free to proceed."

"Enough with the talk Helios! I know Zeus sent you to do his dirty work along with Hades!" Kratos shouted back. As he lunged straight towards Helios, Hades appeared in front of him, shielding Helios from further harm.

"Kratos, leave this place. If the traps in this castle won't stop you, Helio's minions will. I don't wish to wage another war. I know this is between Zeus & You but why bring these innocent lives to be taken away?"

"Hades! For centuries you have loathed & hated your brother Zeus, why are you coming to his aid now!?"

"No it's not the time to discuss that, heed my advice. Or walk down the path of no return. Zeus has already foreseen this..."

With the end of their speech, the two Gods disappeared. Leonidas walked up to Kratos and asked whether he should heed the God's advice but nothing would stop the Ghost Of Sparta from reaching his goal to take down Zeus.

"Leonidas, if your Spartan army could hold off the large scale Persians, than why do you hesitate? Forgive me for my sarcastic remarks my King, but if you think you shouldn't put your men lives' at risk, than the Prince & I can go alone."

Deep in thought, Leonidas knew he owed Kratos back at the battle in Sparta. Without a second thought, Leonidas turned to his men, " SPARTANS! Prepare For Battle, take everything from the enemies we encounter, but give them nothing except our blades & spears!"

War Cries from the Spartan army echoed through the Castle's hall. To the Gods, they already anticipated the situation and thus began the battle to acquire the Sands Of Time


	12. Ray Of The Sun

'Foolish Spartans! And to think Poseidon could have made things easier by unleashing his Hydra, too bad the Ghost Of Sparta seems determined." Helios grunted as he left Hades to watch them. The group entered the first hall where they were greeted by the undead soldiers of Hades but were easily defeated by the Spartan army.

"Back into the pits of Tartarus you fiends!" Leonidas shouted. Fighting through waves of armies while avoiding traps from the various rooms seemed to take forever but all that patience ended when they reached a large hall. The Prince scanned the area while Kratos and the Spartans stood readily for any possible threat. Suddenly the Prince's dagger began glowing strongly; a sign that the Princess had been here.

"The Princess has been in this hall, the dagger can pinpoint the way to her location and than we can claim the Sands of time to stop the war!" Cheers of excitement echoed in the hall but soon the Spartan army will face an even deadlier foe. Following the trail of sand particles the dagger picks up and leads them to and open field where they were only a few steps away from their destination.

"My Lord, the castle where the Princess is held! Let's rush to our destination!" Leonidas sensed a trap, but before he could stop the Spartan individual, his head was decapitated by a enormous creature wielding a giant axe. Kratos drew his blades and stabbed deeply into the creature before ripping out it's eyeball. More of the creatures emerged out from their ambush positions and surrounded the Spartan group.

"Cyclops, foul beasts summoned by Hades...he must be getting desperate to stop us." A bright ray of light emerged out of nowhere before seeing balls of fire coming down at rapid speed; it was the work of Helios. He laughed with a evil grin in his face as he threw his fireballs towards the cornered Spartans.

"Leonidas! You've been a royal servant to Ares, therefore I shall spare your lives if you leave the island & I'll ask mercy from Zeus himself!" Leonidas hesitated for a moment back there, from the very beginning his purpose was to stop the invading Persians from attacking his homeland of Sparta. But he couldn't just leave Kratos in the lurk, after all if it weren't for the Ghost Of Sparta they would have never survived that horrific attack from the Basillik & Hydra. But the temptation to go back to see his wife & son, along with the others' safety was so alluring.

"Have you made your choice Leonidas? Go back or die here?" Lowering his sword, Leonidas raised his view towards the Sun God who was standing at the top of the castle wall. As he tried to find the words to fit in his answer. Helios threatened him by throwing fireballs inches away from him.

"Helios, I've decided and will speak for my people, I will..." But before he could finish, The fallen God Of War came from behind a pile of dead cyclops and stopped him.

"NO! He will not back down from this fight! Spartans do not leave each other behind! Pathetic Gods, your mind games can never penetrate the strong mind of a Spartan King. Let alone 300 Spartans and A fallen God!" Leonidas mind went blank; at first he thought only about his men, never thinking about Kratos who onced served in his army as one of the most feared generals in the whole of Sparta that led them to several victories. After the battle with the barbarians from the East, Kratos became Are's servant and was never heard of again after their final win. But seeing Kratos desire to throw down the entire family of Olympus, Leonidas sense of righteousness began to return.

"SPARTANS! Prepare For Glory!" Battle Cries trembled the grounds as the army battled gallantly against the cyclops. Kratos could see Leonidas indeed had come to his senses as he turned his attention to Helios.

"A fine speech you've given Kratos, but you think that could have won the hearts of the Spartans? Mark my words that the numbers will eventually lessen as you reach your goals." Giving a smirk, Helios was puzzled by Kratos expression when all of a sudden his back was pierced. It was the Prince who had steathily sneaked up behind Helios and stabbed him deeply with the Dagger of time.

"You dare challenge a God, Persian! I'll see what tricks can you come up with when you face my wrath!"


	13. The Guardian Arrives

Helios grabbed the Prince's right arm and flung him onto the ground before pulling out the dagger. Flames of fury ignited in both Helios hands as he walked towards the unconscious Prince.

"Do you see the difference between you & me now mortal? I suffer no damages while I can end your death in an instance!" Before the Sun God could go for the kill, both his hands were chained up; it was Kratos who had flung his blades of Athena as he climbed up the wall. Upon reaching the submit, Kratos reeled back his blades.

"Helios, God of the sun. I Kratos, the God of War is your opponent. Prepare for battle!"

"Kratos, when will you ever learn that a fallen God cannot defeat me!" Two balls of flames were thrown towards Kratos but something amazing happened; using the Golden Fleece accquired through his past battles, the amour asborbed the flames and deflected back at the attacker. Helios was knocked back by the rapid speed of the flaming balls. As he struggled to get back on his feet, Kratos blades missed Helios face by inches. Both opponents battled to and fro with flying fireballs and blades with chains. Finally Helios had enough and charged a large orb of fire before launching it towards Kratos but he asborbed it with the fleece, knocking him down to the ground.

"You see, Ghost of Sparta. You're nothing without your Godly powers!" Just as Helios was about to deal the finishing blow, time seemed to slow down. The fire slowly ignited in Helios hand. Surprisingly Kratos could evade it in normal time and got up to his feet as he watched the Sun God awarkly lighting up his fist. He turned around to see the Prince using his dagger of time to slow down time itself. Giving Kratos the perfect opportunity for a counter attack. The Ghost of Sparta grabbed Helios and threw him onto the ground followed by swift punches to his face from Kratos and continous pounding and stomping onto the concrete groun until Helios was badly bruised and battered. It all ended with a deep stab from the blades of Athena and slamming the Sun God into a tower's wall. As time reverted back to its normal state, Helios was already on the verge of death.

"Mark my words, Kratos. I may have lost this battle, but Hades will take my vengeance upon you!"

Seeing the defeat of Helios, Leonidas and his men took down the last of the cyclops and cheered for the Ghost of Sparta. But all that was cut short with even larger vibrations felt through the gardens. Than from the gates an enormous black amoured figure emerged. The prince and Kratos glanced down to see what was occuring.

"King Leonidas! Get your men out of there NOW!" Kratos wondered why the Prince was in a state of panic. In all the recent battles the Prince had maintained a cool clam look until now.

"What's the problem? Why are you asking Leonidas and his men to flee when they took down an army of cyclops?"

"This isn't any ordinary enemy Kratos, it's...the Darhaka, the guardian of this castle!"


	14. A Familiar Face

Disclaimer: Sorry people! Tons of work for those couple of months, here's the new chapter!

The Darhaka, a familiar enemy to the Prince, emerged out from the aftermath of the previous battle. Kratos readied himself as Leonidas lent his soldiers to safety. The Prince made sure everyone left but only the God War stood firm on his ground.

"Kratos! We have to go! Fighting it won't solve anything, it's just too powerful! We need the sands of time!"

"Fool! There is nothing that I can't take down! Besides I have defeated a God before!"

"But this isn't like any other God you've faced before Kratos! Believe me I have fought and defeated it by using the sands and only the sands of time can stop him! Now we must go to safer and higher grounds!"

Heeding the Prince's advice, Kratos sheathed back his blades and made for the escape. Fate knew that these two opponents would meet again when the time arrives. As the group went into the castle, they were greeted with gears and other mechanisms. All were astounded by the structure of the interiors but now was not the time for scenery gazing. They had a mission and they have to finish it. Walking down the main hall the passage began to split into 3 paths.

" Well it looks like we've to split up, who knows if we'll meet together." Leonidas ordered some of his men to follow Kratos and the Prince before walking into each of the 3 paths. The path the Prince took was a rather long and safe one, with no traps springing in between but was still on his guard. Coming towards the end they were greeted by a lone girl.

"Princess Kaleehna? Is that you?"

"Prince, time and time we meet again. Surely you aren't planning of taking me out from this castle?" Princess Kaleehna was a mysterious lady, no one knew how she came to the castle and why she intends to stay. But everytime trouble arose for the Prince she was there to help.

"Kaleehna, I need the Sands of Time to reverse the effects of a war currently going on, with it I can find the source of the outcome. And I will get you out of here."

"It's no use, with the Darhaka here it has reconstructed the entire castle. You will have to find 3 keys to unlock the main room to activate the Sands, I'm sure you will meet your friends eventually. Beyond here lies a challenge you must pass in order to get what you want. I'll wait for your good news Prince."

"Come men, we must have faith and pass the challenge. I hope Leonidas and Kratos won't be having a hard time."


	15. Underworldy Foes

"3 Keys huh, guess we each take one. May we meet at the end of our paths." Leonidas said as the three heroes walked into the individual passages.

Leonidas and his Spartan army walked down the narrow path until they came into a large empty space. Than the path behind was sealed and a sand clock appeared. The princess than appeared before them.

"This room is the test of endurance. You will be facing a new enemy in this room. The rest is all up to you..."

"All up to us?" Leonidas thought to himself in a confused state. He wasn't very good at riddles but his captain approached him and told him that it had something to do with the sand clock. Than everything linked; upon turning the sand clock it will determine how long they have to face their current enemy. With that Leonidas turned the sand clock in the opposite direction and the ground vibrated. At the other side of the hall the door opened ajar to reveal an army of undead soldiers. As they came marching towards the Spartan army Leonidas and his men took up their defensive stances.

"SPARTANS! Give them nothing, but take EVERYTHING away from them!"

"Ahwoo! Ahwoo!" The thunderous roars of the Spartan's warcries echoed the wide hall as they charged towards their enemies and began a great massacre. As they cleared up the remaining soldiers, Leonidas gazed upon the sand clock; it still had a lot of sand in the top. The door opened again and another wave of undead came charging through.

"There's more? So that's what she means by the room of endurance." The captain spoke. Leonidas readied his shield and drew out his blade before turning his attention to his Captain and his fellow Spartans, putting on brave fronts while deep down The King knew that there was a bit of fear in them. Raising his sword and pointing towards the enemy, Leonidas shouted, "Steady men! No matter how many they send, we will send a message that we are not to be messed around! We carry the pride our wives and children! WE carry the GLORY OF SPARTA!" The Captain watched his King in envy; he was always ready to input courage & motivation into his men even when staring at death in the face.

Wave after wave of Undead Soldiers were brutally slaughtered by the determined Spartans. Once the sand clock was due its time. The Lord of the Underworld known as Hades appeared.

"Well done Spartans, however be aware that you don't possess the powers Kratos once used to have..."

"ENOUGH! This Ends Here!" As one Spartan charged towards Hades and took a swipe. The Dark Lord vanished into smoke as the blade made contact. Than his voice was heard across the hall, "Fools, you cannot a God. Much less your final test!"

"Well, surely it can't be that bad, right my King?" As the Spartan finished what he had said, a long blade stabbed through the warrior from the gates. The rest readied in defence were shocked in awe. Slowly a dark silluette emerged from the gates and immediately the foe revealed itself: The Balrog, Hades darkest guardian of the Underworld. Flinging away the dead Spartan, Leonidas and his men formed a defensive line as the Balrog approached.

"My King, that thing is immortal!" The captain exclaimed but Leonidas was all too calm.

"Immortals? We have defeated those before. let's see if this can live up to its reputation..."


	16. Light & Darkness

Kratos approached the end of the hallway and opened the gates ajar. There he was welcomed with a large open garden but Kratos's instinct sensed something suspicious; a large peaceful garden with flowers blooming and fresh green grass in a battle-damaged fortress seemed too strange. Before Kratos could take another step, a huge ball of fire came soaring towards his direction but he managed to evade in just in the nick of time.

'Feel the power of the sun!' Helios gloated as he continued hurling fireballs at the Ghost of Sparta. But Kratos had other things in mind, he had already spotted a catapult at a corner of the garden.

'Face me Helios! Do not cower in that cauldron of yours!' Kratos taunted as he lured Helios directly to the catapult. Once in range, Kratos prepped the launcher and eventually launched himself towards Helios, bringing both of them down to ground level. With the cauldron destroyed and Helios injured, Kratos decided to finish it all. Before that Helios begged Kratos for mercy.

'Kratos, I've not forgotten what you have done. Save me and I'll give you anything you desire!'

'I seek the sands of time, Helios. Maybe IF you tell me where it's hidden I might spare your live.' Coughing out blood, the battered Helios replied, 'Hah, you efforts will go to waste Spartan! The entire place is like a labyrinth! Even if you do find the sands, you might never make it out!'

'I rather take my chances Helios...'

'Wait, wait! The sands of time is hidden in the main chamber! To acquire it you'll have to touch it...'

'YOU LIE! The Prince told me that the dagger of time is the only way to acquire the sands!'

'And you believe that...that stranger!? He might even just take the sands to reverse time to kill us all! He's not to be trusted!'

'Which is why I believe him...and your time is up.'

'Well then...FEEL THE POWER OF SUN!' Helios then lit himself up with sun's powerful rays. Kratos was completely blinded by the light but determined to find his goal, nothing would stop in his way. Using the golden fleece to reflect the incoming rays, his feet finally met Helios face and began stomping a mudhole in the Sun God. As the light withered, Kratos grabbed hold of Helio's head and slowly began twisting his neck. Kratos followed with a strong right hook to soften up the flesh before going for a second attempt. Hearing Helios's screams of pain made Kratos applied more pressure before finally ripping off the head of Helios. Shining Helios head onto a stack of walls revealed a hidden passageway. It seem that the Sun God's power proved useful otherwise...

Meanwhile, the Prince had the daunting task of evading many hidden traps in his hallway. It wasn't the safest, yet it was the most direct route as it was a straight one. Upon reaching into a large hall, A glimmer of light shone in the middle of the room. Approaching the light, he was greeted with a familiar voice.

'Welcome, Prince of Persia. This is where your path ends.'


	17. The Return Of The Dark Prince

The thing that emerged out from the opposite end was the same height as the Prince, it too looked human, but the only thing seperating the 2 of them was that the other had a dark aura surrounding him.

"It's...it's..."

"Yes Prince, I'm thankful that you didn't forget me, for I am your anger, your sorrow, your negative, your darkness. In short; I am YOU."

The Prince's ultimate foe had just appeared right in front of him; with just a few more steps he could reach the sands of time and plunge the dagger to absorb the sands. Eventually the tower was saving the best enemy for the final hurdle.

"Dark Prince or not, I'll still defeat you like the last time!" The Prince made his first move with a side step on the left wall before flipping over the Dark Prince, practically trying to evade any unnecessary confrontations. Just as he was about to stab the dagger, The Prince felt that he was getting further away from the sands rather then nearing it. No matter how he struggled, his body was rebelling against his will. That was when he turned around to his both his feet chained up by the Dark Prince's weapon.

"Fool, did you really think I would just stand there and watch you save the world?" The Dark Prince gloated as he dragged the Prince further away. Having a split second decision, the Prince drew his blade and began slicing on the chain, eventually breaking free from its grasp. But the Dark Prince anticipated that and lashed out his chain-whip at the Prince again, this time injuring his arm. Writhing in pain, the Prince was still ever determined to get the sands of time. The Dark Prince slowly walked towards his opponent, taunting him.

"Why do you persist Prince? You realise you're doing this for a country that's waging war with you? Are you doing this out of pity? Out of love? Out of Sacrifice? What's going on in your mind!"

Ignoring the Dark Prince's boasts, the Prince finally managed to drag himself to the Sands and stabbed the dagger into it. A sudden gush of wind filled up the chamber as the sands of time slowly was being absorbed by the dagger.

"You fool!" The Dark Prince shouted and lashed his Chain whip again, only this time to be parried away by the Prince's blade.

"Now...I can start getting serious."


	18. Ghost VS Darkness

The Prince attempted to use the sands' power on his dark alter ego by slowing time down in order to anticipate and counter his moves. The plan worked perfectly until the dark prince evaded the prince's counter thrust and wrapped his whip around the prince's right arm.

"How is he able to see my moves?" The prince thought to himself. The dark prince tightened the pressure of his whip, as the blades slowly teethed their way into the flesh of the prince's arm. The prince then activated the dagger again and used the power of rewinding back time to the scene where the dark prince evaded his move. When it came to that scene, the same events happened and yet the prince could not figure it out.

"Surprised prince? You think you can use the sands to do every fancy tricks? Do not forget that I'm a part of you." Finally it started to make sense. While the prince was rewinding back, he noticed the dark prince's tattoos on his arm was glowing; a sign that the dark prince could also manipulate the sands. It wasn't going to be a easy battle. The prince used all his strength to release himself from the grasp of the whip and drew his blade to parry another strike.

"Don't you see? This battle will never have a conclusion! You're me and I am you! We can read each others move like water flowing down a stream!"

What the Dark Prince said was true; every attempt at lunging a sneak attack only backfired with a counter from either party. It was an endless battle of clashing of blades and whip till the both were worn out of stamina.

"What's the matter Prince? Giving up so soon? I still pack a bit of a punch." The Prince gave out his last ounce of strength and leaped to great heights to deliver a fatal blow. But all that was lost when the dark prince saw through his move and brought him down with his whip.

"I'll take that." Stealing the dagger of time from the Prince. As the Dark Prince celebrated his victory, a shadow appeared from the halls.

"Hades? Or Is it Helios?" The Dark Prince voice echoed down the hallway. All he could see was a manly figure followed by a flash of light which seemed to irritate the Dark Prince's vision. Shielding his eyes from the rays, the dark prince shouted out, "Cut it out Helios, you know I never leave my room of darkness." As the shadow approached nearer, a clearer image of it came to vision. The individual walked nearer to the room and lit it up with Helio's head as he hanged it on a nearby wall. The individual looked around his surroundings and saw the defeated prince before turning his attention to the Dark Prince.

"So you're the one they call the Ghost of Sparta, it seems not a even a God from your country can stop you. But you will soon learn your place here. But I'm curious to know your real identity."

"You don't need to know my identity, you are just an enemy to me like the others I have slain."


	19. Hope

"Well then I guess we have to find out whether there's iron in your words!" The Dark Prince then flung his chain towards Kratos but the God Of War was prepared and deflected it away with his blades. An intense battle followed through after that but no victor could be announced.

Knowing his chances of survival are low, the Dark Prince then activated the dagger's sand power but before it could be fully utilized, Kratos stopped him in his path of destruction and broke the Dark Prince's wrist, losing grip of the dagger. The Dark Prince slowly saw his life drained away as Kratos continuously stabbed him in the abodmen with the blades of chaos before delivering the fatal blow with the blade of Olympus, slicing up the Dark Prince in two to assure he won't be coming back again.

Helping the Prince up, Kratos aided his injured comrade further down the hallway exit. Opening the doors, They finally caught up with Leonidas and other surviving Spartans in a rather large room.

"The Princess should be around here somewhere..." The Prince muttered, true enough a female silhouette appeared before them; Princess Kahlia walked over to them as Leonidas and his men readied their weapons.

"Lower your weapons, she means no harm." The Prince said as he slowly regained the strength to stand up on his own two feet again. Formally greeting the Princess, she spoke.

"I know why you are here Prince, I have seen the visions. And I will aid you in your quest to stop the Visser, however he is not alone for he has forged an alliance with the God your friends worship to."

Leonidas and his army were shocked at the news Kahlia delievered. Kratos, already filled with rage knew who she was referring to and tightened his grip on his blades.

"Zeus...I should have known."

"But why? What have we done to deserve this?" A Spartan soldier questioned. Paranoid, he began to accuse of Krato's involvement in this. "It's you! If you haven't descended from the Heavens the Gods wouldn't have resorted to this!" He was greeted with a right hook by Leonidas himself.

"I don't why Zeus chose to abandon us in this time of chaos, but one thing I know for sure is that we have to end this! God Of War, I'm with you to the end!" Leonidas exclaimed followed by war cries of the fellow Spartans.

The Princess then took the dagger from the Prince and with her touch, modified the dagger before handing it back.

"The dagger has been modified, you can either fill it up with sand when it's empty or defeat foes to gain the same sands. I wish you all the best in your journey to end all this." After giving her blessings, the Princess left to her chambers. With newfound determination, the group headed back to the Gates and boarded the ship. It was all or nothing for them, the last part of their quest; to return to where it all began...


	20. Return To Darkness

"The dagger has been modified, you can either fill it up with sand when it's empty or defeat foes to gain the same sands. I wish you all the best in your journey to end all this." After giving her blessings, the Princess left to her chambers. With newfound determination, the group headed back to the Gates and boarded the ship. It was all or nothing for them, the last part of their quest; to return to where it all began...

Back on the ship, mixed thoughts and emotions filled up Krato's mind; the nightmares still lingered within him. If he had not called for Ares aid that faithful day against the barbarians, had he not pledged himself to the former God Of War. Perhaps all this would not have taken place.

"Something on your mind, Ghost Of Sparta?" Leonidas asked as he walked out from the crew quarters. Kratos did not mutter a single word and stared into the vast horizon of the Aegean sea. Leonidas placed his hand on The God Of War's shoulder and assured him that the battle back at Sparta would not be easy, but as long they stand their ground, all shall know the glory that 300 men and a fallen God took down an entire Persian army.

"We'll make it through Kratos, that Prince has the key to stopping the Persian Empire, all we have to do is hold them back and Sparta will claim victory!" Kratos, still uneasy took Leonidas hand off his shoulder before turning around.

"It's not about winning this battle King Leonidas, all this could have been prevented if I had not called out to Ares that day and because of that you all are taking what's left of his death. I cannot rest my mind easily on that."

"The past is the past Kratos, we look forward to the future. That is why we live in the present. Fear not fellow Spartan, I will aid you till the war is over." With his words of encouragement, Leonidas called out his entire crew and gave his speech in the night full moon.

"SPARTANS! We'll be docking soon at our homeland. Show these Persians who are the true warriors! Give them nothing...but take EVERYTHING from them! TONIGHT, WE DINE...IN HELL!" The war cries echoed throughout the entire ship. The Prince then joined the crew as he figured out the mechanism of the dagger.

"The dagger, when comes in contact turns an individual into sand and the dagger just absorbs it. I will need your full support in aiding me."

"SHIP AHOY!" The 1st mate shouted; the signal that they have reached Spartan grounds. As the Spartan army came out to assemble, Kratos then walked forwards and told Leonidas that he'll lead the front.

From afar, King Xerxes and the Visser were watching the flow of battle as the Persians slowly slaughtered each and every Spartan soldier in their paths before they saw a small group coming from the East.

"Sire, it's them."

"Let them come, all they shall meet with the full force of Persia"


	21. Ascension

"SHIP AHOY!" The 1st mate shouted; the signal that they have reached Spartan grounds. As the Spartan army came out to assemble, Kratos then walked forwards and told Leonidas that he'll lead the front.

From afar, King Xerxes and the Visser were watching the flow of battle as the Persians slowly slaughtered each and every Spartan soldier in their paths before they saw a small group coming from the East.

"Sire, it's them."

"Let them come, all they shall meet with the full force of Persia"

Xerxes signalled to the first wave of Persian warriors to head in the direction of the Spartans and the Prince. As Kratos and Leonidas re con the place, they made base at the village of Kirra; home to the Ghost of Sparta. Kratos was again reminded of the act of betrayal by Ares when he slain his own wife and daughter.

" Again" Kratos muttered as he recollected himself while the Spartan army sharpen their weapons. Leonidas brought the Prince to a corner to question the abilities of the dagger.

"You're certain this dagger will change the course of the battle?"

"Certainly, it is forged by the materials only found in the island." Their conversation was soon interrupted as a Spartan scout came running back to report sight of the Persian army heading towards them.

"Here already?" The Prince exclaimed. Leonidas and his men then readied their weapons and began their defensive positions. Kratos, still haunted by the memories, was struggling to gain his composure.

"Lord Kratos! Anytime you're ready we can use some assistance!" The Prince shouted. Kratos finally came back to his senses and rushed to Leonidas's position and saw the army of Persians slowly marching. Kratos readied his blades of chaos as the rest followed suit. The leader of the Persian army then stepped forward and announced.

"Fellow Spartans, King Xerxes has given you the glory of choosing two options; you can either surrender and enjoy the blissfulness of the great Persian Empire, or die in a glorious death." Leonidas stepped out from the group to give his reply

"Your choices are limited Persian, but I will take the obvious. We won't go down without a fight." The Persian general then signalled his troops to ready themselves.

"Very well Spartan. If death is what you choose, then allow me to..." Within a split second, the God Of War leapt out from behind the Spartan army and drove his blades into the chest of the Persian Genral before splitting him into two. Leonidas forcefully let out a small grin, knowing that the God of War is back and he means business.


End file.
